Typewriter Eraser sculpture at the Norton Museum of Art

Considered one of the founders of Pop Art, Claes Oldenburg’s (American, born Sweden, 1929) provocative work transforms common objects into colossal sculptures that upend the conventional relationship between viewer and subject. Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1999, made in partnership with his wife, Coosje van Bruggen (American, born Netherlands, 1942-2009), is a gift from Trustee Ronnie Heyman and a signature work that stands at the Norton’s new entrance. To celebrate this significant donation, in 2019 the Norton presented an exhibition, Oldenburg and Van Bruggen: The Typewriter Eraser, curated by Assistant Curator J. Rachel Gustafson. In March 2021, the Museum released a catalog Oldenburg and Van Bruggen: The Typewriter Eraser, A Favored Form, authored by Gustafson, and features reflections by Heyman as well as Lord Norman Foster, chairman and founder of Foster + Partners, who were integral to the sculpture’s installation at the Norton.